What began as a bold idea from three A Level DT students has grown into one of the most exciting and ambitious STEM initiatives at St George’s College. Four years ago, Anthony Menezes, St-John Richardson and James Cameron approached Mrs Owens with a simple question: “Can we build and race an electric car?”

The answer was yes, and so began the journey of ‘Betty’, St George’s first entry into the Greenpower Challenge: a national competition that encourages young people to explore science and engineering by designing, building and racing electric kit cars.

Starting with a standard Greenpower kit, the trio built and wired the core components. Then the pandemic hit. Racing paused, but the project continued. From home, students developed several versions of the bodywork, starting with fluted polypropylene, which was lightweight but fragile, and later progressing to stronger aluminium sheeting.

Since then, the Greenpower F24 Club has grown significantly. With 25 active members from Third Year to Upper Sixth, the team has transformed Betty into a sleek, competitive electric racer. In 2023, she made her debut at Dunsfold Aerodrome and Goodwood, placing 35th out of 67 cars.

This year, the team shifted up a gear. With the expert input of Ian Butler, a CNC Operator/Programmer at McLaren F1, and continued support from Mr Rowland, Mrs Butler, and Mr Peake, Betty has received a major upgrade — including a new carbon fibre and ABS body, a custom rear axle with freewheel gearing, a redesigned steering rack and wheel with integrated kill switch and twist throttle, and enhanced battery performance through careful cycling.

The team’s hard work paid off at their first race of the season on 27 April at Goodwood, where Betty covered a strong 58.32 miles over the two races and placed 6th in class and 20th overall. On 8 June, the team then went to a new track at Bedford Autodrome. Despite challenges in Race 2, including a red flag and a thrown chain, the team still managed a solid performance, covering 52.31 miles over the two races.

These results have placed St George’s 62nd out of 185 entries nationally for the 2025 season, an incredible achievement and a huge confidence boost for the season ahead.

Next stop: Dunsfold Aerodrome on 14 September. But the team isn’t stopping there — plans are already underway to build a bespoke electric car from scratch, taking the leap from kit-based design to full innovation.

Whether it’s racing down the straight or engineering behind the scenes, the Greenpower Club continues to embody the spirit of teamwork, creativity and ambition that drives STEM at St George’s.